A boxed meal that cost two hundred yuan was sold for three hundred seventy-eight, and in the end, there were two boxes of chicken leg rice left—just enough for the two of them, one each.

Actually, he didn’t do this to make money; it was mainly to clear his head. Now it seemed the plan was fine, and money could be made, but the profit margin was just too thin.

But William Carter wasn’t disappointed. With a capital of only two hundred yuan, how much profit could you really expect?

It couldn’t possibly be thousands, right?

Before his rebirth, he’d never done business. Today’s little venture was just to experience what it felt like to make money.

But to be honest, it was a bit of a loss. He’d given away five packs of Yuxi cigarettes, which cost over a hundred yuan, and spent half a day on this. The two of them were exhausted, and only ended up with a little over seventy yuan.

But what if the capital was bigger? What if he flipped something more valuable? Doubling seventy-eight was actually pretty good.

William Carter pulled out five ten-yuan bills and handed them to David Harris. This rascal immediately stopped complaining about being tired, clutching the money and shouting, “Thanks, bro!”

“Bro, are we doing this again tomorrow?”

“Hell no, I’m exhausted. We only made seventy-eight, and I gave you fifty. The rest is just enough to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

William Carter grumbled, but in his heart, he was still thinking about how to earn his first pot of gold.

Where could he make his first pot of gold?

In online novels, those reborn bastards always manage to start big businesses right away. Why didn’t it work out for him?

If it really didn’t work, he could go home and persuade his parents to sell the house and buy Bitcoin and Moutai stock directly.

Just then, the boxed meal chef, holding a spatula, came over. He first stared at William Carter for a moment, then leaned in mysteriously and handed over a White General cigarette.

“How much did you sell those two hundred yuan boxed meals for?”

William Carter took the cigarette and calmly looked up. “Four hundred sixty.”

David Harris was stunned beside him. Wasn’t it three hundred eighty?

But seeing William Carter’s calm demeanor, he didn’t dare say anything, just swallowed and lowered his head.

Chapter 4: Pretty Girls Are the Best at Lying

Two hundred turned into four hundred sixty?

Earned two and a half days’ wages in one day?

The boxed meal vendor’s eyes immediately lit up with envy. Grinning, he hitched up his pants and squatted down next to William Carter. The mixed smell of grease and smoke hit William Carter in the face, making him feel a bit dizzy.

But William Carter didn’t say anything, just scooted over a bit and tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

The way he looked now, he didn’t seem like a high school graduate at all, but more like a streetwise dropout.

“Buddy, can you tell me where you sold the boxed meals?”

William Carter, as if he’d expected this, skillfully held up two fingers. “Sir, give me two hundred yuan and I’ll tell you the address.”

The old man’s eyes widened like copper bells, flashing with shrewdness. “Two hundred yuan? I barely make that in a whole day here!”

“But if you change locations, you could make four hundred.”

“Tell me first, let me see if it’s worth it.” The boxed meal vendor hesitated. Two hundred yuan wasn’t a small amount.

“We just went to the street with all the internet cafes.”

“East end of Xinghai Road?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought it’d be somewhere better. Business is good there, but the city inspectors are strict. I went once, and my cart got confiscated. Still haven’t gotten it back.”

“I’m not done yet. Give me two hundred yuan and I’ll keep going. If you think it’s not worth it, I’ll give it back. I’m just a student, I wouldn’t scam you, right?” William Carter’s voice was full of temptation.

The boxed meal vendor hesitated for a while, then pulled out two hundred yuan from his pocket. “Go ahead, but if it’s not worth it, I want my money back.”

William Carter rolled up the two hundred and stuffed it in his pocket. “There’s a foot massage parlor called Shui Yun Jian on that street. Go in the front door and there’s a big courtyard inside. The fire exits of seven internet cafes all lead into that courtyard. Also, the old man guarding the gate likes to smoke Hongtashan. Most importantly, there are no city inspectors there.”

“What good is the old man at the gate? Would he even let me in to sell boxed meals?”

William Carter smiled calmly. “He’s the father of the owner of Shui Yun Jian. He guards the gate because he’s bored at home.”

The boxed meal vendor thought for a while, then suddenly grinned. “Alright, buddy, next time you come for a meal, it’s on the house.”

“Deal, deal.”

“So young and you’ve already figured out the foot massage parlor. You’ve got a bright future ahead!”

William Carter cupped his hands in a mock salute. “You flatter me!”

David Harris stood there stunned for a long time, then grabbed William Carter with a trembling hand, his eyes full of envy. “Old Jiang, you’ve already been to a magical place like a foot massage parlor?”

“It’s just a rite of passage for men.”

“Huh?”

“Alright, enough with the ‘huh.’ We made money today, so I’ll treat you to something nice.”

William Carter stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and, carrying his windfall of over seven hundred yuan, strode down the main road.

Watching his friend’s carefree figure walk away, David Harris was momentarily dazed, feeling as if his friend had a kind of world-weary maturity.

Just like those people in TV dramas who have seen through life—still joking and cursing on the surface, but with eyes so deep and sharp, as if they could see through to the very essence of things.